The Storyline
The Harvard men's basketball team will attempt to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament this weekend when it travels to Yale and Brown for its final two games in the "14-Game Tournament." The Crimson will first take on Yale Friday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. live on NBC Sports Network before facing Brown Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. on the Ivy League Digital Network.

Harvard currently holds a two game lead over Yale in the Ivy League standings with just two games to play. The Crimson has already clinched at least a share of its fourth straight Ancient Eight title, but can win it outright and secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Eli on Friday or a victory against the Bears on Saturday.

Noteables
• Harvard enters play with a two game lead over Yale in the Ivy League standings with two games to play. The Crimson has already clinched at least a share of its fourth straight Ancient Eight title, but can win it outright and secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a victory over the Eli on Friday or a victory against the Bears on Saturday.

• By securing at least a share of the conference championship, Harvard became the first team to win four consecutive Ivy League titles since Penn did so from 1993-96.

• Senior Laurent Rivard made the most of his final game at Lavietes Pavilion, shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range to finish with a game-high 21 points. Harvard's all-time leader in three-pointers and games played, Rivard matched his career-high with the six makes from long-range and moved into a tie with Douglas Davis (Princeton '12) for third place in Ivy League history with 276 career three-pointers. Rivard needs five more makes to match Brian Earl's (Princeton '99) total of 281 for second place.

• Harvard's 24 victories rank as the second most in program history (26 in 2011-12) while its 11 Ivy League wins are one off the program record (12 in 2010-11 & 2011-12).

Last Time Out
The Harvard men's basketball team clinched at least a share of its fourth consecutive Ivy League championship Saturday night as it erupted for an 80-47 win over Columbia at Lavietes Pavilion.

Harvard's senior class stepped up big in its final game at Lavietes Pavilion, accounting for 39 of the team's 80 points. Laurent Rivard led the way shooting 6-of-8 from beyond-the-arc to finish with 21 points. Kyle Casey added 10 points and four rebounds, with Brandyn Curry (5 points) and Dee Giger (3 points) also getting in on the act.

Ivy League Digital Network For the first time ever, all of Harvard's home games and road Ivy League contests which are not being televised will be streamed in HD quality featuring a live scoreboard, new graphics package and play-by-play commentary through the Ivy League Digital Network. Subscribers to the network can watch games both live and On-Demand on their computers, tablets or smart phones, and will have access to live and On-Demand content for all Harvard events throughout the duration of their subscription.

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Rank and File
Harvard was listed as receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 each of the first 14 weeks of the season. The Crimson also received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll in eight of the first 14 weeks. The Crimson last appeared in either poll the week of Feb. 6, 2012 when the AP had the squad ranked No. 25 and the coaches had it at No. 21.

Joining Elite Company
By securing at least a share of the Ivy League championship, Harvard has become the first team to win four consecutive Ancient Eight titles since Penn did so from 1993-96.

At 24-4, Harvard has also become the first Ivy League program to reach 20 wins in five straight seasons since Penn did so a record six times from 1970-75. The Crimson's 114 wins during this time, meanwhile, is tied for the third highest win total in Ancient Eight history over a five-year span.

Making a Stand
Harvard's defense is shaping up to be one of the best ever under head coach Tommy Amaker. Opponents are scoring just 59.4 ppg, which ranks 10th in the NCAA and is second best in the Amaker era, while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from beyond-the-arc, both the lowest totals under Amaker.

• The Crimson has held each of its last three opponents to just 47 points, marking the first time since 2011-12 that Harvard has allowed less than 50 points in three straight games. The 2011-12 team accomplished the feat twice, and became the first Crimson squad since 1946-47 to do so in four straight games.

• Harvard is 13-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, and is 12-0 when opponents shoot under 40.0 percent.

• The Crimson allowed just 37 points to MIT, marking the third time under head coach Tommy Amaker that an opponent has scored fewer than 40 points (most recent at Yale, 65-35, 1/27/12).

Margin of Victory
Under head coach Tommy Amaker, the Crimson has won 35 games by 20 or more points, 10 games by 30 or more points and two games by 40 or more.

• This year's team has set the standard for margin of victory, outscoring opponents by 13.5 ppg while winning nine games by 20 points, five games by 30 and one game by 40.

• Harvard's average scoring margin against the Ivy League this season is +16.6 ppg. The team has won six Ivy League contests by at least 20 points and three games by at least 30.

• Harvard picked up lopsided victories versus MIT (79-37, Nov. 12) and Howard (76-44, Nov. 15), marking the first time under head coach Tommy Amaker that the Crimson has won back-to-back games by 30-plus points.

• Harvard's 42-point margin of victory against MIT on Nov. 12 was the second largest under head coach Tommy Amaker, behind only a 94-51 triumph against Daniel Webster on Dec. 28, 2008.

Cousy Award Watch ListSiyani Chambers has been named as one of 23 watch list finalists for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men's college basketball. The list of 23 watch list finalists will be narrowed down to a final five by early March. The Cousy Award winner will be presented the honor on Championship Monday in Dallas at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference.

Players of the Week
Wesley Saunders (Dec. 3, Dec. 9, Jan. 6) and Siyani Chambers (Dec. 23, Dec. 30, Feb. 24) have combined to earn six Ivy League Player of the Week awards this season.

Saunders' eight career player of the week honors are the second most in league history, trailing only Princeton's Ian Hummer and Brown's Earl Hunt who own the all-time mark with nine. Saunders' latest accolade also tied him with Kyle Snowden '97 for the most by a member of the Crimson.

Chambers' three honors give him nine career weekly awards after having been named the conference's rookie of the week six times last year.

Moving on Up
Head coach Tommy Amaker continues to move up the ranks of the Ivy League's winningest coaches. Amaker's 136 wins at Harvard are the 12th most since the conference began competition in 1956, while his 65 Ivy League victories rank 14th.

Amaker has led Harvard to four straight Ivy League championships, tying him with former Princeton head coach Butch van Breda Kolff and fomer Penn head coach Chuck Daly for the fourth most Ivy titles won.

Born to Assist
Siyani Chambers, who entered the weekend ranked second in the Ivy League in assists (4.6), has dished out at least five assists 12 times this season and has dropped eight dimes or more five times. The sophomore boasts 32 career games with five or more assists and has 10 games of eight or more assists, including four double-digit performances.

Top Shot
Laurent Rivard is Harvard's all-time leader in three-pointers with 276 and is tied with with Douglas Davis (Princeton '12) for third place in Ivy League history. He needs just five more makes to match Brian Earl's (Princeton '99) total of 281 for second place.

Rivard found his shooting touch at home against Princeton and Penn, making 11-of-17 attempts from deep to average 20.0 ppg for the weekend. Rivard matched his career-high with six makes against the Quakers, while his 11 combined three-pointers represented the highest total over two games of his career.

Protecting the Paint
Kyle Casey grabbed nine rebounds against Brown to join Brian Cusworth '07, Matt Stehle '06 and Keith Wright '12 as one of four players in Crimson history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks. Casey currently ranks 15th in program history with 1,212 points, 11th with 631 rebounds and third with 121 blocks.

Join the Club
Seniors Kyle Casey and Laurent Rivard each eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau against Green Bay, bringing Harvard's total number of 1,000 point scorers to 30. Rivard currently ranks 13th in program history with 1,228 points while Casey is 15th with 1,212.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Harvard recently enjoyed a 20-game home win streak at Lavietes Pavilion which spanned from Dec. 1, 2012 to Feb. 7, 2014. At the time, the streak stood as the sixth-longest in the NCAA.

The program record for consecutive home wins stands at 28 games set between Feb. 19, 2010 and Feb. 24, 2012.

Getting Off on the Right Foot
Harvard began Ivy League play with five straight wins, marking the third year in a row the Crimson has begun the conference slate 5-0 or better. The 2011-12 squad owns the program record for best start to the conference schedule at 7-0.

Pouring It On
Harvard scored at least 80 points in three straight games against Dartmouth, Princeton and Penn, marking the first time the team had done so since February of 2010. The Crimson has scored 80-plus points in at least four straight games nine times in program history, including in 1971-72 when it accomplished the feat six games in a row.

The Crimson averaged 80.7 ppg during this stretch while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor, 59.6 percent from three, and outscoring its opponents by 22.0 ppg.

All-Around Effort
Wesley Saunders' full arsenal of skills was on display against Princeton as the junior led the Crimson in points (24), rebounds (9), assists (7) and steals (3). Saunders shot 9-of-13 from the floor for his fifth 20-point performance of the year while notching his fifth game with five or more assists.

Saunders became the first individual to lead Harvard in points, rebounds, assists and steals since Jeremy Lin '10 did so on Dec. 30, 2009 against George Washington. Saunders has led Harvard in points, rebounds and assists three times in his career.

They're On Fire
Harvard shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from beyond-the-arc at Dartmouth to set a school record for highest three-point percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts. The Crimson's 65.9 percent performance from the field, meanwhile, was the highest field goal percentage for Harvard under head coach Tommy Amaker.

Streaking
Harvard won nine straight games overall between Nov. 28 and Jan. 4, the third longest win streak in program history. The Crimson enjoyed a program record 13-game win streak in 1945-46 en route to a 19-3 record and the team's first trip to the NCAA Tournament, and won 10 in-a-row in 1904-05 to finish with an 11-5 mark.

Shootout Champs
Harvard defeated Denver, Green Bay and TCU en route to winning the 2013 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. Wesley Saunders was named the tournament's most outstanding player after averaging 14.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 4.7 apg, and was joined on the all-tournament team by Siyani Chambers (10.3 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Steve Moundou-Missi (12.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg).

This marked the first tournament title for the Crimson since taking the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis in 2011, and was the first Great Alaska Shootout title for Tommy Amaker after having also coached in the tournament with Seton Hall (head coach, 1997) and Duke (assistant coach, 1995).

Block PartyEvan Cummins recorded six blocks against TCU, setting a new Great Alaska Shootout championship game record. The previous mark of five had been held by Sheldon Williams (Duke, 2003) and Keith Owens (UCLA, 1990).

Grand Theft
Harvard recorded double-digit steals in four straight games from Nov. 12 - Nov. 24, matching the longest stretch of double-digit steal performances under head coach Tommy Amaker, and has come away with at least 10 steals in five contests this season.

D-ing Up
Harvard's home-opening 79-37 win versus MIT was highlighted by the Crimson's play at the defensive end, which resulted in several noteable statistics;

• Harvard's 42-point margin of victory was the second largest under head coach Tommy Amaker, behind only a 94-51 triumph against Daniel Webster on Dec. 28, 2008.

• The Crimson allowed just 37 points to MIT, marking the third time under head coach Tommy Amaker that an opponent has scored fewer than 40 points (most recent at Yale, 65-35, 1/27/12).

• The Engineers shot just 27.9 percent from the field, which at the time stood as the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the Amaker era.

• Harvard forced 29 MIT turnovers, the most for the Crimson under head coach Tommy Amaker.

• Harvard's 19 steals versus the Engineers were one shy of the program record of 20, which has been accomplished four times (most recent vs. Hartford, 1/30/01).

Milestone Marker
The Crimson is approaching or has already reached several milestones this season;

• Laurent Rivard became the program's all-time leader in three-pointers (276) and currently ranks third in Ivy League history.

• Kyle Casey (1,212) and Laurent Rivard (1,228) became the 29th and 30th members of Harvard's 1,000-point club. Wesley Saunders is on pace to become the next member of the Crimson to reach the milestone with 950 career points.

• Kyle Casey became just the fourth member of the Crimson to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks.

• Head coach Tommy Amaker moved into third place for wins by a Harvard head coach (135) and registered his 300th career victory.

• The Crimson won its 250th game at Lavietes.

Lou Henson Preseason All-America
Wesley Saunders was named to the 2013 Lou Henson Preseason All-America Team as one of the top 25 student-athletes from mid-major conferences. Following the season, the Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major student-athlete in Division I college basketball. The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years.

Coach4aDay
This season, Harvard has teamed up with the 3PointFoundation to participate in the Coach4aDay program, helping to raise funds and awareness in the fight against illiteracy. The3PointFoundation teaches and mentors urban boys to prepare them for success in academics and life by concentrating on reading, writing, mathematics and character development for underserved youth who have demonstrated commitment, discipline and enthusiasm by playing in organized basketball programs.

For more information on the Coach4aDay program or to learn how you can get involved, click here.

National Pride
Three Crimson had the honor of representing their country over the summer as a member of their respective national teams; Steve Moundou-Missi (Cameroon Senior National Team), Agunwa Okolie (Canadian Men's Junior National Team) and Laurent Rivard (Canadian Developmental National Team).

In The Spotlight
Twelve of Harvard's 30 games have been picked up for national or regional television broadcasts this season. The Crimson appeared on TV a program record 17 times last season, including a record four televised games at Lavietes Pavilion.

Sold Out
Harvard played in front of a capacity crowd against both Cornell and Columbia, bringing the team's total number of sell outs this year to seven. Harvard has now sold out 23 games over the last three years, including a record 10 during the 2011-12 campaign.

Home Court Advantage
The Harvard men's and women's basketball teams have combined for a 108-13 record at home in Lavietes Pavilion since 2009-10 while going 58-9 against the Ivy League. The Crimson men are 60-5 (.923) overall, 31-4 (.886) against the Ancient Eight, with the women going 48-9 (.842) overall, 27-6 (.818) in conference. The men's team's run of dominance includes a program record 28-game home win streak that lasted more than two calendar years between Feb. 19, 2010 and Feb. 24, 2012.

On The Sidelines
With 136 victories under his belt, Tommy Amaker ranks third all-time in Harvard coaching annals.